Sudan protests show no sign of abating amid calls for civilian govt

Date created : 12/05/2019 - 08:10Latest update : 12/05/2019 - 10:49

A month after forcing former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from office, thousands of people are still protesting in the streets of the capital Khartoum to demand the country’s military rulers make way for a civilian government.A military council has been in power ever since Bashir was ousted on April 11. Protesters, however, have pledged to fight on until a full-fledged democracy can be established. “Power to the people, not the military,” one protester told FRANCE 24. In an effort to increase pressure on the military, protest leaders have called for a campaign of civil disobedience and a general strike starting on Monday. FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih, Karim Yahiaoui, Abdallah Malkawi reports from the streets of Khartoum.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) gained widespread support during more than four months of protests and it has helped win a string of apparent concessions from the military council that took over from Bashir on April 11.

But as the unionists and activists in the SPA try to chart a course to full-fledged democracy, they are coming up against a powerful rival that has shown little sign yet that it is willing to move aside for a civilian-led transition.